Our commitment

Many people dealing with problem debt are disabled, unwell, using older devices or reading in a hurry on a small phone screen. We want every one of them to be able to read our guides and use the eligibility checker without difficulty. Our target is conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 at level AA across the whole site. We treat accessibility as part of writing and building every page rather than a check at the end.

In practice, you should be able to move around the site using only a keyboard, zoom to 400% without text spilling off the screen, and use it with a screen reader. You should also be able to read it in a different colour scheme or with your own fonts, and understand every page because it is written in plain English.

What we have done

  • Semantic HTML. Every page uses one h1, a logical heading order, landmark regions (header, navigation, main, footer), real lists, and data tables with captions and header cells.
  • Keyboard navigation. All menus, accordions, links and the checker's controls can be reached and operated with the Tab, Enter, Space and arrow keys. A "Skip to main content" link is the first focusable element on every page.
  • Visible focus. The element you have moved to with the keyboard is always clearly outlined.
  • Colour contrast. Text and interface colours meet the WCAG 2.2 AA contrast ratios, and colour is never the only way information is conveyed.
  • Reduced motion. If your device is set to reduce motion, transitions and animations are switched off.
  • Responsive, resizable text. Text is set in relative units and reflows on small screens and at high zoom. There is no horizontal scrolling at standard widths.
  • Accessible accordions and forms. Expandable sections use buttons with aria-expanded and aria-controls. Form controls in the eligibility checker have visible labels and clear error messages.
  • No autoplay and no time limits. Nothing plays automatically, and the eligibility checker does not time out, so you can take as long as you need.
  • Plain English. Pages use short sentences, explain technical terms and link to a glossary.

How accessible this site is

We believe the site is largely accessible, but it has not yet been independently audited. The list above reflects what we have built and tested ourselves, not the findings of a formal assessment. [LAUNCH BLOCKER: the site has not been independently audited; commission an audit (automated and manual, including screen-reader testing) and record the date and findings here]

Known limitations at the time of writing:

  • [LAUNCH BLOCKER: list any issues found in the audit, with the WCAG criterion affected and the planned fix date, or state that none were found]
  • Some pages link to PDF documents and other content on external websites, such as GOV.UK and debt advice charities. We cannot guarantee the accessibility of those sites.

Feedback and contact

If you cannot access part of this site, find a page hard to use or need information in a different format, please tell us. Write to [email protected] or use the details on our contact page. Describe the page, what you were trying to do and, if you can, the browser or assistive technology you were using. We will reply within [LAUNCH BLOCKER: response time commitment] and will fix genuine barriers as a priority.

We cannot give personal debt advice. If you need advice in an accessible format, the free services listed on our contact page can arrange it.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) enforces the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Those regulations apply to public sector bodies and may not apply to this independently operated site. We nevertheless aim to meet the same standard.

If you are not happy with how we respond to your feedback, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) at equalityadvisoryservice.com. EASS gives free advice on discrimination and human rights issues, including access to services, under the Equality Act 2010.

Technical information about this site's accessibility

We are committed to making this site accessible in line with the standard set by the regulations named above, whether or not they apply to us. This site is partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 level AA until an independent audit confirms otherwise. "Partially conformant" means that some parts of the content may not fully meet the standard. [LAUNCH BLOCKER: update the conformance status (fully conformant, partially conformant or non-conformant) once the audit is complete]

The site is built as static HTML, CSS and a small amount of JavaScript. The eligibility checker and navigation menus need JavaScript; all informational content is available without it.

Preparation of this statement

This statement was prepared on [LAUNCH BLOCKER: date this statement was prepared] and last reviewed on [LAUNCH BLOCKER: date of last review, added only when a review has taken place]. The site was last tested on [LAUNCH BLOCKER: date of last test] by [LAUNCH BLOCKER: who carried out the test, for example the operator or a named auditor], using [LAUNCH BLOCKER: method, for example automated tools, manual keyboard testing and screen-reader testing on a sample of pages].

Sources and further reading